Combined bed and couch.



PATYENTE'D JUNE 6, 1905.

1 T. OWEN. COMBINED BED AND COUCH.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 30, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR. 7A,

VIA-1M WI T NESSES A TTORNE Y.

PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905 D. T. OWEN.

COMBINED BED AND COUCH APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JNVEN WITNESSES.-

TOR

A TTORNE Y.

Patented June 6, 1905.

f -UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE.

DAVID THOMAS OWEN, OF CLEVELAND. OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE D. OWEN COMPANY,OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A OORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,718, dated June 6,1905.

Application filed December 30, 1903. Serial No. 187,235.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, DAVID THOMAS OWEN, a

citizen of the United States, residing atOleveclear, and exactdescription of the invention,

which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention has reference to a combined 'bed and couch; and theinvention consists in a construction and combination of parts in whichthe bed and couch are mutually dependent one upon the other andconvertible into a perfect bed and a perfect couch alternately at will,all substantially as shown and described, and

particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section of the partsas they appear when used as-a couch and showing the parts in dottedlines as partially tilted, as occurs in converting the structure ineither direction. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bedframe reducedin size as compared with Fig.

'1 and showing the construction for the couchback at the front thereof.Fig. 3 is a crosssectional view of the parts as they appear whenconverted into a bed, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view, reduced,of thecouch proper less the back.

In this construction of bed and couchIhave in view the making of acomparatively cheap article, or one which can be sold at a price withinthe reach of people generally who need conveniences of this kind, suchas the occupants of apartment-houses and where room needs to beeconomized. To these ends every part is made to serve as many purposesas possible, and simplicity of construction is everywhere consulted.Thus the bed frame B, Fig. 2, is a plain rectangular structure of woodor metal and provided with two rigid rear legs 6, adapted to constitutearocking fulcrum or turning-point for the bed in its change from avertical to a horizontal position and back again. To this end the saidlegs have each a rocker enlargement or extension 6 at or upon theirrear, and three several casters 1, 2, and 8 are used at each end of saidframe on what is properly the under side of the frame and legs when thebed is up or raised, and the said bed rests on casters 1 and 2 in itsraised position and on casters 3 when down. This construction enables meto overcome a former difficulty in the use of legs disposed and workingsubstantially as do legs 6 in this instance, because when said legs weremade long enough to get the necessary elevation of the bed in its tiltedposition, as in Fig. 3, the tilting fulcrum was thrown to theextremities of said legs, and this made it necessary to exert in theneighborhood of sixty pounds pull on the top of the bed or bed-frame toturn it from vertical to horizontal position. By my present improvementIretain the req uisite elevation of leg; but by means of arocking-fulcrum back on the bottom of said leg approximately half itslength the tilting of the bed-frame forward is accomplished with verymuch greater ease and on a rocking surface in addition, which is a verygreat advantage, because it overcomes the tendency of the legs otherwiseto slide on the floor. Hence formerly I had to use a catch to preventsuch sliding. Now none is needed, and whether up or down the bed is uponcasters to be moved over the floor like the furniture. In the movementof the frame B forward and down the couch O necessarily moves somewhattoward the front by reason of its connection with frame B, relatively asseen in dotted lines, Fig. 1, and the person who draws the bed down may,if necessary, help to prevent the parts from creeping forward togetherrather than tilting of frame B by interposing himself against the couchas he draws for-. ward on the bed-frame. This is only liable to occur onreaching casters 3 and is easily checked, because by this time thebed-frame is brought where its own gravity helps to make the turn.Indeed, with my present improvement a comparatively frail woman canchange the bed from one position to the other both ways without undueexertion.

The couch O is provided at its rear and ends With hook-shaped hangers c,which are pivotally connected with pendants or brackets b on the endsand middle of bed-frame B. The hangers 0 have a gooseneck form, whichespecially adapts them to use in the present organization and wherebythe couch is bodily supported or suspended at its rear in all itspositions from the bed. At its frontthe couch has legs 0 rigid with itsframe and provided with casters, as usual.

The back D of the couch and the flexible spring or other suitablesupport E of the bed are in this invention wholly separate andindependent of each other, and the said back D has a flexible supportingportion d of its own secured along one edge to the top and front edge ofthe bed-frame and at its ends or upon the back-supporting extensions 6on what is herein referred to as the bed-frame, but which in as trueasense is also the couchback frame. These extensions 6* have a curvededge, as herein shown, and gradually deepen toward their lower portions,where they abruptly turn rearward on a plane which brings them downabout even with the seat of the couch, as seen in Fig. 1, and which isabout at the middle of the bed. The back-support cl of the couch isstretched over these extensions and secured thereon, and this gives thegraceful and shapely outline for the back plainly shown in Fig. l andwherein the back and seat of the couch are shown as coming together asif built together, but yet perfectly independent on each otherstructurally. This arrangement also leaves the flexible spring ormattress-support E for the bedmattress proper entirely separate from thecouch-back and as though it were not associated with a couch. The frontof the bed when down rests upon the front of the couch, or rather uponthe legs 0 of the couch, at its ends, so that to this extent the bed issupported by the couch and is depependent thereon.

Practically the brackets b and the gooseneck-curves of hangers c for thecouch come into the space behind the couch-back and are protected by theforward end extensions 7), Which sustain the couch-back apart from thebed-bottom, relatively as seen in Fig. 1.

Whatever mattress is used for the bed is a separate article, as usual,and rests upon the support E within such boxing or other edge or endconstruction there may be for the mattress Within or upon frame B, andthe crosssectional view in Fig. 8 shows how perfectly independent thebed is of the back of the couch and the back of the couch of the bed. Itwill be seen that the deepest portion of rockers b is at their rearnearest to frame B,

and the casters do not touch when the rockers are at work.

The curved back d adds greatly to the appearance of the couch andprovides a rest for the curve of the back of a person sitting on thecouch and also gives the necessary space between the bed-spring and thecouch-back spring or support, whereby a free play of the bed-spring isobtained when in use and an easy-lying bed is gained thereby. The curveof the back is most pronounced and the space greatest Where most needed,and that is the center of the bed, where the greatest depres sion of thebed-spring occurs.

Portion a of the top board or side of frame B is hinged to permitseating upon the mattress without hindrance.

In the operation of bringing the bed forward and down a forward pullfrom the top edge of the bed-frame B is necessary, and this is mosteasily accomplished by means of along strap or loop a, attached to theinner side of frame B and adapted to be folded or tucked within theframe when not in use. The long strap a gives a purchase or hold for theoperator, which permits him to stand back and away from the front of thecouch and give free space for it to roll or advance and also places himin a position of advantage as regards the benefit of his own weight,which he can throw into use to overcome the weight of the bed andbedclothing. When the bed is on edge, this is very material, becausewithout said strap it can be readily seen that the depth of the couchnecessitates a stooping or inclined position of the body to permit ahold or grip on the top edge of frame B, and which position overbalancesthe operator and places him at a disadvantage at once and at the timewhen the greatest power is required. The beds in use have demonstrated abenefit of twenty pounds pull where the strap has been used and ascompared with a bed not so equipped.

What I claim is- 1. In acombined bed and couch, a bed-frame providedwith rigid rear legs having a floor engaging and riding surface upontheir rear sides, and a couch-seat provided with gooseneck-hangerspivotally connected with said bed-frame.

2. In a combined bed and couch, the combination of a bed-frame providedwith rigid rear legs projecting at an angle to the plane of thebed-bottom and having a floor engaging and riding portion on their rearsides, with a couchseat provided with gooseneck-hangcrs at its rear,said hangers having pivotal connections at their end with saidbed-frame.

3. In acombined bed and couch, abed-framc having rear fixed legsprojecting at right angles and provided with a curved floor-ridingportion on their rear side, in combination with a couch-seat pivotallysupported from the bottom of said frame and a support for the couch andbed at their front, said bed-frame having separate spring-supportsstretched upon said frame and spaced apart for a bed-spring bottom and aspring-back for the couch, respectively.

4. Inacombined bed and couch, a bed-frame and legs rigid at the rearside therewith, said having legs with rockers on their rear to turn thebed down, in combination with a couch pivotally supported from saidbed-frame and having legs at its front supportingthe front of the bed,substantially as described.

6. In a combined bed and couch, an open bed-frame provided with a fixedspring-mattress bottom stretched therein between its top and bottom, anda springsupport for the couch-back stretched over the bottom of saidframeand spaced apart from said spring-mattress bottom, in combinationwith a couchseat, substantially as described.

7. In acombined bed and couch, abed-frame having rear legs and acouchframe having front legs, mechanism pivotally suspending the rear ofthe couch from the bed-frame, extensions for the couch-back on the endsof said bed-frame above the couch-seat, and a support for the back ofthe couch stretched between said extensions, substantially as described.

8. In acombined bed and couch, abed-frame having forwardly-curvedextensions on its bottom and ends deepest at their lower portion andterminating substantially at the middle of the frame, and the back ofthe couch stretched upon said extensions, in combination with a couchsuspended at its rear from said bed-frame and having its seat flush withthe bottom of the couch-back, substantially as described.

9. In a combined bed and couch, an open frame adapted to confine beddingand a springmattress stretched within said frame, a separatespring-support at one side of said frame adapted to form the back of thecouch, said spring-mattress and spring-support spaced apart with thegreatest space centrally between the sides of said frame, and acouchseat. substantially-as described.

10. The bed-frame and a setof casters at each end upon the rear side ofsaid frame, in combination with a couch pivotally connected at its rearwith said frame said pivot being on a line parallel with the plane ofthe bedbottom between said casters at each side and whereby a strainupon the couch is distributed to-all the casters on said frame and afirm rear support for the couch is provided, substantially as described.

11. In a combined bed and couch, an open bed-frame having legs adaptedto provide a rocking fulcrum for changing the bed from a vertical to ahorizontal position, a set of casters at each end'of said frame and uponsaid legs adapted to provide a rolling support for the bed in both saidpositions, a couch having legs at its front and pivot connections at itsrear with said frame, and said open frame having two distinctspring-supports stretched between its ends and spaced apart to provideindependent flexible supports for the bedding and the couch-back,respectively, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

DAVID THOMAS OWEN.

Witnesses:

R. B. MOSER,

O. A. SELL.

